Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

This national bestseller exploring the complex emotional lives of animals was hailed as "a masterpiece" by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas and as "marvelous" by Jane Goodall.

The popularity of When Elephants Weep has swept the nation, as author Jeffrey Masson appeared on Dateline NBC, Good Morning America, and was profiled in People for his ground-breaking and fascinating study. Not since Darwin's The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals has a book so thoroughly and effectively explored the full range of emotions that exist throughout the animal kingdom.

From dancing squirrels to bashful gorillas to spiteful killer whales, Masson and coauthor Susan McCarthy bring forth fascinating anecdotes and illuminating insights that offer powerful proof of the existence of animal emotion. Chapters on love, joy, anger, fear, shame, compassion, and loneliness are framed by a provocative re-evaluation of how we treat animals, from hunting and eating them to scientific experimentation. Forming a complete and compelling picture of the inner lives of animals, When Elephants Weep assures that we will never look at animals in the same way again.

Synopsis:

Not since Darwin's The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals has a book so thoroughly and effectively explored the full rage of emotions that exist throughout the animal kingdom. Hailed as "a masterpiece" by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, When Elephants Weep provides a complete and compelling picture of the inner lives of animals, and assures that we will never look at animals in the same way again. NPR sponsorship.

What Our Readers Are Saying

Average customer rating based on 1 comment:

Taylor, May 26, 2009 (view all comments by Taylor)
This was a thought-provoking book about the emotional lives of animals and how much we take for granted by trying to assume that only humans can feel emotions. The authors provided a wide variety of anecdotes from their own experiences as well as the experiences of others. They show that animals can feel emotions and also interact in a variety of ways that go beyond traditional scientific reports on them. This book also raises some important questions about how we treat animals. My only complaint would be that at times the authors are very biased about how they feel, which consequently tones down some of what they attempt to convey to readers.

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"Synopsis"
by Libri,
Not since Darwin's The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals has a book so thoroughly and effectively explored the full rage of emotions that exist throughout the animal kingdom. Hailed as "a masterpiece" by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, When Elephants Weep provides a complete and compelling picture of the inner lives of animals, and assures that we will never look at animals in the same way again. NPR sponsorship.

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